


Seraph's Lament

by rosegukk



Series: Requiem [1]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angels, Angst, Blood and Injury, Demon Yongguk, Demons, F/M, Heavy Angst, Human Youngjae, Minor Violence, demon daehyun, demon jongup, human himchan, human junhong, human reader, just a really sad story okay, there's no happy ending here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 22:40:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14318613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegukk/pseuds/rosegukk
Summary: At the age of 13, the only world you have ever known ends in a storm of fire. Your family, your village, and most of the world’s population are wiped out in an instant by Seraphim. An unlikely alliance develops between the remaining humans and the Demons to fight back, and place the world in the hands of humans once again.





	Seraph's Lament

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! <3

Pine and the aroma of sap warmed by the sun fill your nostrils as you struggle to catch your breath. Which idiot had the grand idea of hiking up a mountain at the apex of summer?

“Hey, keep up!” Himchan yells from up ahead.

Oh, that idiot.

“Listen here, Himchan,” Youngjae heaves through labored breaths, “Just because you turned 18 and are going to the army next week, doesn’t mean you get to drive us up the side of a mountain like animals!”

Himchan pauses and turns to look at the trio of struggling teens, a bemused look on his face, “Think of it as training. By the time you and Junhong are of age, the things you’ll be asked to do in the army will be a breeze.”

“That’s five years from now. I don’t give a damn about what’s going to happen in five years,” Junhong whines as he rests his hands on his knees.

“Then why am I here?” you question, patting Junhong on the back. “I don’t plan on enlisting when I’m of age.”

Himchan thoughtfully ponders your question for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, “Because these two only listen to you and you can’t stay cooped up inside all day.”

Not the most reasoned answer, but it does hold some truth. Himchan had come knocking on your door early in the morning, camping gear and the other two in tow, and hardly gave you time to finish your breakfast before dragging you outside. The entire morning was spent climbing, and now, as the four of you near your destination, the sun rests high overhead.

You pause to take a sip from your water bottle, lifting it up to your parched lips. Something thick and gray floats lazily down from the sky to perch atop the point of your nose. Screwing the lid back onto your bottle, you mindlessly swipe at the particle. A streak of charcoal smears across the back of your hand and you stare at it, not quite sure where it came from.

Himchan appears before you, “Don’t fall behind, we’re almost there.”

“Right,” you reply, following Himchan as he returns to the front of the group.

But as you continue, more dark flecks begin to skitter to the ground. You all pause, staring up at the sky.

“What is this?” Youngjae holds out his hand to catch the flakes on his palm.

“It can’t be snow, right?” Junhong asks as he rubs a speck between his thumb and forefinger. The flakes fall faster, the amount increasing rapidly.

“It’s definitely not snow,” you say, “It’s more like-”

“Ash,” Himchan finishes.

“Ash?” Youngjae says, his eyes widening, “Do you think there’s a fire nearby?” He looks to Himchan who has begun to spin in a slow circle as he tries to find the source of the ash.

“I don’t know,” Himchan eyes the sky, “but it would have to be pretty close for the ash to fall this heavily. Also, it’s almost as if it’s falling straight down, directly from the clouds.”

“What do we do?” you ask, fighting the panic that begins to rise in your chest.

“I think we should-”

“Look!” Junhong cuts him off, his finger pointing through a break in the trees to show your village off in the distance.

Fear seizes your heart like the first frost of winter. Drops of fire rain down from the heavens as natural as if it were rain, landing on the roofs of the homes and igniting them instantly. In seconds the entire village is aflame. Instinctively, you step forward.

“No!” Himchan grips your arm tightly and yanks you back.

“We have to help. Our families are down there,” your voice is eerily calm, but it does not disguise the tears in your eyes or the terror that floods your veins.

“It’s too dangerous,” Himchan growls, pulling you again as you try to release his grip.

“We have to save them!” you scream, panic ripping through your throat.

“The entire village is on fire,” Youngjae says meekly, “There’s no way…no way we could save anyone or make it out alive ourselves.”

Tears pour down your face in disbelief that no one is running back to help.

“Himchan, please,” you cry, looking up into his eyes. His expression is steeled, but fresh tears pool in the corner of his eyes.

A shout from Junhong makes you jump and immediately you see why. A small scattering of flames have caught on the dry bark of the trees, strands of flame dripping onto the underbrush of the forest floor.

Before you can move an ear splitting sound berates your eardrums. Everyone drops to their knees, covering their ears in a useless attempt to keep out the noise. You identify the sound as trumpets, but where is it coming from and why does it make the ground quiver? Just as you feel your head is about to split open, the trumpets cease and you stand up on wobbly legs. All is unnervingly quiet for a moment before more fire hurtles towards the ground. 

“Run!” Himchan yells, “The cave is up ahead. Don’t look back!” He pulls you in front of him and pushes you hard in between your shoulders, sending you almost face first to the ground. You reach out to brace yourself and pebbles scrape the soft flesh of your palms. Himchan pulls you up by the back of your shirt and urges you forward again.

Youngjae and Junhong sprint ahead of you, nimbly dodging patches of flame. The entrance to the cave appears through the thicket of trees untouched by the fire. Gritty, hot smoke scorches the lining of your lungs with each breath, but you pull the collar of your shirt over the lower half of your face and will your muscles to propel you forward.

Youngjae and Junhong make it to the mouth of the cave first, but they stop to turn and look for you and Himchan.

“Keep going! Run as deep as you can!” Himchan shouts from your left side. The two boys take one last look at the burning forest before disappearing into the darkness. Soon, your feet meet the smooth surface of the cave floor, but you do not dare to look back. Himchan encloses his hand around yours and carefully leads you further into the complete blackness. Footsteps echo off the walls and join the sounds of panicked breathing and a thrumming heart in your ears. The footsteps multiply as you catch up to Youngjae and Junhong who are quickly losing steam.

“I think we’re in far enough,” Himchan pants and pulls you to a stop. All of you drop to the ground in relief, but the reality of what has transpired does not leave your thoughts.

“What are we going to do?” Youngjae asks with uncertainty.

A ruffling can be heard while Himchan rummages through his pack. He pulls out a small lantern and clicks it on, its light momentarily blinding you,

“We should stay in here until the morning. This cave used to lead to a mine, but the entrance is natural and sturdy.”

“What do you think happened to the village? Where did that fire come from?” Junhong asks, his hands shaking in his lap.

You furrow your brows in thought as the images of fire pouring down from the heavens replay in your mind. None of it makes sense; fire does not fall from the clouds as if it is just another natural weather phenomenon.

“I think,” Himchan pauses, gathering his words carefully, “We shouldn’t expect to find much of the village left when we return.” A solemn look falls over his face, the shadows cast by the lantern amplifying his sadness, “There’s no way anything could have survived so much fire. We got lucky that only a few scattered remnants of the flames made it to our height on the mountain.”

A heavy weight sinks your heart to your stomach. Everything you know, everyone you love, is not going to be there when you return home. The gravity of the thought is unbearably painful and you curl in on yourself, pulling your knees to your chest.

The cave is silent for an untracked time as tears flow down ash-smudged cheeks. At some point Himchan tries to get everyone to eat a little bit, but the thought of eating at such a moment makes your stomach revolt. No one sleeps that night; how can you with hearts so irrevocably torn?

Himchan checks his watch with a quiet sigh, “The sun is up now. Let’s go back.”

With weakened and defeated limbs you slowly push yourself up to stand. The lower half of your body tingles as normal circulation of your blood returns and you hesitate before taking an unsteady step. You help Himchan lift Youngjae and Junhong off their feet and give their arms gentle squeezes of affirmation.

The walk back to the mouth of the cave is hushed, each person deep in thought and resiliently holding on to a small shred of hope that at least some of the world you knew had survived. But that tiny glimmer of hope is quickly doused as you step outside, the devastation glaringly apparent even at first glance. From your high spot on the mountain, much of the forest below and the village are visible, or at least, what was left.

The lower half of the forest stands empty and charred; what was once lush and vibrantly green now lies in tones of gray and black. Trails of smoke pour carelessly from the trees and piles of ash on the ground, dancing in a muted remembrance of what was lost.

Your eyes move quickly in the direction of the village, praying that some of it remains, but what you see rips all vestiges of hope from your grasp. The village is nothing but a blackened circle on the earth- the only hint that anything had been there at all. A cry tears from your throat and is mimicked by the three friends around you. Junhong falls to a seated position on the ground, burying his face in his hands as sobs wrack his chest. Youngjae stands next to Junhong, his hand placed on his shoulder as fresh tears fall from his puffy, reddened eyes. Himchan stands with his hand covering his mouth, tears slipping over the back and dribbling onto his shirt. You, however, cannot find any more tears within, having spent them all the night before. An empty, hollow anguish fills you instead, permeating your bones and deadening your nerves. Everything is gone.

Without thought you walk forward, drawn by a force to see your ruined world. The others follow and the trek down blurs by, your mind too stunned to process anything else. As you walk the familiar road that leads to the only home you have ever known, disbelief laden your thoughts. The fields that were once full with grains and beds of flowers are now patches of charred earth, erased from the patchwork of the landscape. Memories of backbreaking but fulfilling work of helping the farmers harvest their crops and bring them to the market in the center of the village trickle through the sludge of your heartbreak. For a brief moment your ache is soothed, but the salve is quickly washed away as a tide of torment washes back over you, its force tripling your pain. Never again will you be able to pick the wildflowers along the side of the road to bring the fleeting beauty of spring into your home. Never again will you be able to gather armfuls of vegetables to gorge yourself on while your parents scold you for taking too much. Never again will you see the smiling faces of the farmers as they greet you in the morning and hand you more vegetables anyway.

Thick plumes of smoke still rise from most of the buildings and sparse fires continue to consume anything their tendrils reach. The village is unrecognizable, but your feet carry you home with ease. Himchan, Youngjae, and Junhong are silent as they follow you, their own breaking hearts seal up their throats and push words away from their lips.

Your feet stop in front of what should be your home. What lies before you instead is ash- your home, your family, your entire life reduced to tiny specks of black. A hand grips your shoulder too tight and a hoarse voice croaks behind you,

“I’m so sorry,” you can hear the tears choking up Himchan’s throat.

But, you do not feel anything. You want to cry, to scream and shout and thrash the ground with your fists, but the emotions do not respond to your call. How can you feel anything when your heart bares such a large hole?

You sink to your knees, paying no mind to the wood splinters and rocks that dig into your skin. You reach out before you, scooping up a pile of ash into your palms. It sifts through your fingers to fall into your lap where the wind picks it up and carries it away. For a moment you are still as you watch the dance between wind and ash. Maybe the wind can carry you away, too.

A soft tug on your elbow brings you back to the world you do not wish to live in.

“We’re going to look at our houses now, come on,” Himchan speaks gently, cautious not to shatter the glass ledge you precariously stand upon. You shadow behind the others towards the center of the village.

At the village square you pause when a curious site catches your attention. Several oblong black spots dot the broken cobblestones and you cannot comprehend what could have made them. Youngjae appears at your shoulder and looks with you. He takes in a sharp breath when the answer comes to him first.

“The villagers. They were struck down where they stood,” he says, horrified.

Again, you want to shed tears for them, but your eyes stay dry and the hole in your heart widens. You clutch the soot covered fabric of your shirt over your heart- you are not sure how much more you can take. Youngjae entwines his fingers with yours and pulls you in the direction that Himchan and Junhong went. You close your eyes until you are out of the square.

The pair of you find your friends at Junhong’s house. Even with his face buried in Himchan’s chest you can still hear his cries. You grip Youngjae’s hand tighter, your nails cutting into his skin, but he says nothing. You silently plead for this nightmare to end already; you want to wake up.

“Oh? What have we here?” a slick voice from behind you sends a chill down your spine. You and Youngjae spin around at the unfamiliar voice; was someone still alive?

The two men before you do not look like anyone you have ever seen before. They are taller than the grown men of the village and they wear pristine white robes that glimmer like opals. You notice the swords that rest on their hips and take a step back.

“Who are you?” Himchan shouts, stepping in front of you.

“Behold,” one of them begins, raising his arms into the air, “We are the holy messengers of God.”

“We are servants sent to this earth to make sure we have eradicated humanity,” the other says, “Although, it seems we may have missed a few.” He slowly begins to draw his sword and takes a step closer. You feel Junhong tug lightly on the back of your shirt, pulling you and Youngjae away from the encroaching men.

“You’re angels?” Himchan asks, bewildered that such beings who only existed in tales were standing in front of him.

“Yes,” the first angel nods, “and we have taken back the world that you disgusting humans have polluted and ruined.

“You will never take it away from us. Humanity will fight and destroy all of you,” Himchan says, defiance rising in his chest.

The second angel scoffs and steps closer, “You already lost the world when the Seraphim blew their trumpets. It’s the end of your time, human.” He raises his sword and aims for Himchan’s head.

Before your scream can leave your lips there is a flash and the angels are writhing on the ground, consumed by flames as green as the blades of grass that cover the summer fields. Two new men stand before your group, these dressed from head to toe in black. They look over each of your faces before one of them breaks out into a gentle smile.

“Please, do not be scared. We won’t hurt you, I promise.”

“Wh-who are you?” Junhong asks over your shoulder.

“I’m Daehyun,” the smiling one points to himself, “and this friend is Jongup. Those are his flames,” Daehyun jerks his thumb behind him at the diminishing green flames. Jongup lazily waves a hand through the air.

“Are you angels, too?” you ask.

Daehyun scrunches his nose in disgust, “No, we’re much better. We’re demons.”

“Right, demons,” Youngjae says, “Because demons are always the good guys in the stories,” he finishes sarcastically.

“Hey, we really are!” Daehyun shouts. “Your human stories have it all wrong.” Youngjae opens his mouth to retort, but Himchan shushes him with his hand.

“We can argue over the accuracy of story books later,” Himchan shakes his head, “Right now we need an explanation. What is going on? What happened? Why are angels and demons on earth?”

“The Seraphim were unhappy with how humans were living,” Jongup begins, “They turned on God for being complacent and sent the Holy Fires of Heaven down to wipe out humanity. They want to reclaim the world for themselves. They’ll wage war to do it.”

Your stomach retches in horror at how the Seraphim could so easily decide to wipe out humans. Countless lives destroyed, millions of dreams left unfulfilled because of the blighted hearts and selfish judgement of beings that occupied the sky.

“If they were so unhappy with how we were living,” you begin, anger dripping from your words, “Then why didn’t they come down here before to help us? To change our ways? They didn’t-” your throat constricts as your emotions finally bubble to the brim, “They didn’t have to kill everyone we loved.”

“I know, love” Daehyun comforts, “But when your head is stuck in the clouds all day, logical reasoning escapes you. However, you can fight back. You can take back this world.”

Four pairs of eyes look at Daehyun in shock.

“How?” you ask, desperation seeking to latch on to any hope pouring from the wound in your heart.

“Team up with us,” Jongup says simply. “We demons are gathering any survivors and taking them to our city. We can teach you all how to defeat them.”

“What’s in it for the demons?” Himchan quirks his brow. Surely demons do not work for free.

Daehyun shrugs, “We don’t want the Seraphim to have what they want. It’s much better if you guys are living on the surface.”

None of you are completely convinced, but what other choice do you have now? You want revenge for your parents and the other lights extinguished too soon. You hold out your hand to Daehyun. He looks at it for a moment before his bright smile spreads across his face again.

“Then we have a deal,” you say, trying to muster up all the courage you can to take on this new journey.

“Deal,” Daehyun nods.

“Now what?” Junhong asks.

“We’ll take you back to our city. Although, since you aren’t demons, we’ll have to go to the physical entrance. It’ll take the entire night to get there,” Daehyun runs his hand through his hair.

“Will it be safe to travel at night?” Himchan looks to the setting sun with concern.

“You’ve got us,” Jongup says, one corner of his mouth tilting up. “Angels don’t usually move around at night anyway.”

“‘ _Usually_ ’?” Youngjae crosses his arms, not fully on board with this plan. Jongup simply smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

“Let’s go,” Daehyun says over his shoulder as he begins to walk back to the entrance of the village, “Stick close to us.”

The four of you stay no more than a couple steps behind Daehyun and Jongup trails a few feet behind to watch the back. You never imagined you would leave behind your home, but you fortify your heart against the sorrow that swirls beneath the surface as you walk away from everything you know. You shake your head, there is nothing left for you there. All you have now are your three best friends and, you guess, two demons. You have no room to distrust them; they are your only hope at saving what you have left in this world. You will fight at the side of demons until every angel is defeated.

The sun slips languidly below the horizon, oblivious that it will now rise and fall to the rhythm of less souls. Your troupe continues to walk through the night, guided only by the weak light of the waning moon. No one speaks, exhaustion solidifying in the depths of bones, and thinking will take away what little energy you have left.

As the east begins to turn gray Daehyun comes to a halt in front of you. If you had not been paying attention you would have bumped into his back. You peer around him and are barely able to make out the mouth of a large cave. Daehyun reaches behind himself and carefully takes your hand in his, his skin unnaturally hot.

“Watch your step, everyone,” he says before moving forward. Even with your eyes accustomed to the dark, the cave is so solidly black that you still stumble. “Oops, I forgot your eyes aren’t as good as ours,” Daehyun teases. He pauses for a moment and lifts up his free hand. You watch in amazement as a pale pink flame appears in the palm of his hand. Daehyun looks down at you and winks, “Pretty cool, huh?”

You nod with excitement, all thoughts of sleep gone from your mind for a moment, “Are all demon’s flames different?”

Daehyun nods as he begins to walk again, “Yep, they even have different specialties. I’ll explain them to you tomorrow.”

You continue to walk for what seems like hours and you notice that the ground has changed to a gentle downward slope. The walk is anything but boring with Daehyun and Jongup showing off what their flames can do. You assume that the show is to also remove the heavy burdens from your souls, if only for a short while.

Daehyun closes his hand around his flame and extinguishes it. You want to protest but he points in front of you. A soft orange glow at the end of the cave appears, and it grows larger with every step. You walk out from the cave and into a cavern, your mouth dropping open in wonder.

This is no ordinary cavern. Buildings carved out of the rock stretch as far as the eye can see and glistening black streets weave in between them. You look down at the street beneath your feet and gasp; the polished black stones are inlaid with veins of precious metals which catch the light from the orange lamps and glint softly. You let your eyes wander back up, past the buildings, and up to the ceiling, but it is too high and disappears into the darkness.

The pair of demons allow the four of you to adjust to the new scenery. Too soon for your liking Daehyun is tugging you to the right,

“Come on, you all definitely need some sleep. We’ll take you to the human quarters.”

Reluctantly you follow, the idea of finally sleeping is appealing, though. Daehyun and Jongup lead you through another short tunnel and into a new cavern. This one is much smaller than the main cavern, but is still larger than your village. They take you to the front of a tall building that mirrors at least five others around it.

Daehyun gestures to the buildings, “This is one of the housing units for the humans. There are nine other caverns exactly like this. You lot will be staying in this building. We’re hoping we can fill at least four caverns with survivors.”

“How many people can each cavern hold?” Himchan asks.

“About five thousand,” Jongup answers.

You know that your country had a population of at least three million, and a quick calculation in your head makes your heart sink.

“Let’s go in. I’m sure you all are completely spent,” Daehyun turns to open the door and guides you inside. He takes you up several flights of stairs to the very top floor and stops in front of one of the rooms. “Until we know how many survivors we have, you’ll have to bunk up,” he pushes open the door to reveal a simple room with three sets of bunk beds lining three of the walls, the fourth wall occupied by a window that looks out to the cavern.

“Take your pick and get comfortable,” Jongup says, “You’ll be safe here.” The boys scatter to claim their own bunks. You walk to Himchan’s bunk which sits closest to the window and plop down on the bottom bed. The demons stand in the doorway as everyone situates themselves, but you remain sitting up.

“What’s wrong?” Daehyun asks, coming closer.

You shake your head, “I don’t think I can sleep.” Despite your body running on empty for some time now, you did not dare to close your eyes. The fear of what may await you in your dreams makes you shrink back into yourself.

“Are you scared?” Daehyun asks gently.

Shyly you nod your head, “I’m scared of the waking world, and of the world in my dreams.”

Daehyun soothingly pats the top of your head, “It’ll be alright, I promise. Lie down and I won’t leave until you’re asleep.”

You can already hear the soft snores of your friends. If they can sleep then so can you, but when you close your eyes you are met with flashes of fire and screams. You look up to Daehyun who sits on the edge of your bed, “Daehyun, can you sing me a lullaby?”

The demon looks perplexed for a moment at your request, but he gives you a reassuring smile, “Sure, although I think it’s a little different from what you’re used to.”

“That’s okay,” you say, reaching out to hold the tips of his fingers. He smiles again and cups your hand between both of his.

“Close your eyes.”

You do as he says and wait. You can hear him take in a deep breath before the first note glides from his lips. He begins to sing, but it is not any lullaby you are familiar with. The words are in a demon language, but the melody is more beautiful and fluid than any human song, carrying you on its waves to sleep. What a lovely sound--a demon’s lullaby.


End file.
